3 Vikings Possibly Going into their Final NFL Seasons
The NFL is a workplace that slows down for no one. Eventually, even the greatest players need to step away.
To that end, consider 3 Vikings who could plausibly be entering their final seasons in the NFL. Not just as Vikings, but as NFL football players. The discussion isn’t being informed by sources whispering about what’s going to take place. Rather, there’s a simple exploration of players who are older and who are entering the final year of their deals.
3 Vikings and The Potential Final Season
Player #1 — C.J. Ham, Fullback
The fullback can basically do it all.
Standing at 5’11” and weighing a very sturdy 250 pounds, C.J. Ham has been with the Vikings since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent back in 2016 (coincidentally, that was the last time the Vikings had a punt return touchdown).
Ham has seen his workload on offense increase since Kevin O’Connell took over in 2022. He has gone from 169 snaps in 2022 to 216 snaps in 2023. In 2024, Ham found himself at 262 snaps (which is to say nothing of his ongoing importance to special teams).
If there was a RAS score for intangibles, Mr. Ham would be coming in at a 10. He’s a tough, rugged on-field player who offers excellent intelligence, leadership, and work habits. Any team would be fortunate to have him, as the Vikings have been.
Any chance, though, that he decides to call it a career after 2025? He just turned 32 on July 22nd.
Player #2 — Harrison Smith, Safety
No sense of exaggeration, folks, when insisting that Harrison Smith will go down as one of the greatest Vikings draft picks of all time. Rick Spielman traded up to snag the hard-hitting safety coming out of Notre Dame, doing a deal with Baltimore.
His thirteen NFL seasons have featured 192 games. Along the way, there have been a half-dozen Pro Bowl trips, a second-team All Pro honor, and a first-team All Pro honor. In 2017, Smith finished 4th in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Maybe the most fascinating statistics from his career are the simple facts that he has intercepted 37 passes while also having 20.5 sacks. Whether deep or behind the line of scrimmage, Harrison Smith can make a play.
At 36, The Hitman is closer to the end than the beginning. Smith, a unique player, is someone whom people shouldn’t underestimate. He seems likely to retire but he also seems likely to be capable of playing NFL football if there remains a desire to do so. Time will tell.
Player #3 — Andrew DePaola, Long Snapper
Yes, I know we’re talking about a long snapper, but don’t forget who Andrew DePaola has become. In the NFL, there has been no one who’s better, at least not in recent seasons.
Switching to having Matt Daniels as the special teams coordinator appears to be helping the veteran snapper. The three seasons have involved going to the Pro Bowl all three times. He has been a second-team All Pro once. He has been a first-team All Pro the other two seasons.
So, Andrew DePaola has been excellent, as his accolades demonstrate.
He is the team’s oldest player at 38. Conceivably, a long snapper could play longer than a running back — as least when we consider the positions in the aggregate — but age catches up with anyone and everyone. Does the long snapper hang up his cleats when the season is done?
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
